IRONMAN 70.3 Haugesund Preview

IRONMAN 70.3 Haugesund features 1,550 athletes from 44 countries, along with some of the sport's biggest names.

After two consecutive victories at IRONMAN 70.3 Haugesund, Filip Ospaly is hoping to make history in Haugesund on Sunday, but it will be not an easy one for the outstanding runner from the Czech Republic. Ospaly faces not only two-time IRONMAN world champion Chris McCormack, but also a huge list of strong athletes. German Andreas Dreitz, 23, has had a great season so far including a dominant victory at the IRONMAN 70.3 Mallorca. Another German to look for is Andreas Böcherer, who is back in the mix after an illness. Those two are accompanied by last year's IRONMAN Japan winner, Denmark's Martin Jensen, along with strong British pro’s Mark Threlfall and Peter Wilby.

In the women’s race, defending champion Lisa Hütthaler (AUT) is absent after her third-place finish at IRONMAN Austria last weekend. Scotland's Catriona Morrison has also withdrawn, so Britain's Susie Hignett is the clear women's favorite after a second-place finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Luxembourg two weeks ago.